After India’s thrashing defeat against Australia in World Test Championship final, the focus has shifted towards the youngsters, who can make it into the India squad for the Next WTC cycle. India would be looking to move towards youth with an eye on the future for the West Indies tour.
The Indian selectors and team management would select new test players for the next WTC Cycle starting against West Indies on July 12 and selectors would look to manage the workload of certain senior players ahead of the 2023 ODI World Cup which can certainly help a few faces in the Indian test team.
Here is India’s test squad if all senior players are rested for the West Indies tour.
1. Openers – Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, And Mayank Agarwal
Shubman Gill has been in fantastic form, since the start of 2023, as he smashed hundreds across all three formats of the game including one against Australia in the final game of BGT 2023. The youngster has shown excellent temperament in limited opportunity as the test has an opener and will first be the choice opener going forward in the future.
The Emerging Player of the Season Yashasvi Jaiswal has been touted to make his international debut for India very soon as he has shown promises in domestic cricket for Mumbai in all three formats of the game. The youngster was one of India’s stand-by players for the recently concluded ICC World Test Championship and might his debut for the Indian team shortly.
Mayank Agarwal has fallen the pecking order in India’s Test side but the Karnataka batter played exceptionally well in Ranji Trophy 2022-23 scoring 990 runs in just 13 innings for Karnataka at a brilliant average of 82.5. With this performance, Agarwal has a chance of earning a recall shortly.
2. Middle Order Batters – Sarfaraz Khan, Shreyas Iyer (C), And Baba Indrajith
Sarfaraz Khan has been one of the consistent performers for Mumbai, as he amassed 2970 runs from 26 matches (12 centuries, seven half-centuries) at an average of 106.07. In 36 first-class games, the 25-year-old has scored 3380 runs at an incredible average of 80.47.
Shreyas Iyer can provide the perfect balance to the side, as the KKR Skipper performed for the team very well in Subcontinental wickets scoring some crucial runs including match-winning knocks against Bangladesh in the away series.
Baba Indrajith has been one of the most consistent batters on the circuit for a good few seasons now. He is used to batting at number 3 for Tamil Nadu and the South zone can be play replaced by Cheteshwar Pujara in the team. The 28-year-old top-order batter averages 51.85 in first-class cricket, as the Tamil Nadu batter can make it into the squad for the West Indies tour.
3. Wicket-keepers – KS Bharat And Ishan Kishan
KS Bharat can retain his spot in the team, as he kept wickets very well in tough England conditions, though he could make an impact with the bat. The Andhra wicket-keeper would look to improve his batting skills to make a mark in the longer format of the game.
Ishan Kishan can be the perfect backup for KS Bharat in the West Indies, as the Left-handed youngster can be a like-to-like replacement for Rishabh Pant in the team.
4. All-rounders – Axar Patel And Shardul Thakur
Axar Patel can be the perfect team man for the Indian team, as he can be a perfect like-to-like replacement for Ravindra Jadeja in the playing 11 his batting stature has grown higher and higher in 2022 and he would like to make the most of his opportunity in upcoming series against West Indies.
Shardul Thakur has once proved his worth in the England conditions, as he batted well against the formidable Australian attack to bat the team out of trouble in the 1st innings, but the Indian pacer could not make an impact with the ball, as he would look to improve on his bowling going into the West Indies tour.
5. Spinner – Kuldeep Yadav
Left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav made his Test debut against Australia in Dharamsala in March 2017. However, he has only featured in eight Tests, claiming 34 wickets at an average of 21.55, and has found him out of the favour from the test team, as India opts to play Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in-home tests. The 28-year-old will be a crucial member of the Indian team going forward in red-ball cricket.
6. Fast Bowlers – Jaydev Unadkat, Mukesh Kumar, Prasidh Krishna, And Arzan Nagwaswalla
Jaydev Unadkat has been one of the top performers in Indian domestic cricket over the last few years. The Saurashtra skipper has revelation in red-ball cricket performing consistently well for his side in Ranji Trophy. In the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy, he picked up 26 wickets in four games and his last appearance for the Indian team came against Bangladesh.
Mukesh Kumar can be more vital for the Indian team in red-ball cricket with his experience in domestic cricket can come in handy. The Bengal Pacer had a successful time recently, with terrific performances for India A and the Rest of India in the Irani Trophy.
Prasidh Krishna has been one of the standout performers for India in ODI Cricket in recent times before his injury ruled out from the side for a considerable period. He could be a valuable asset for the Indian team in the longer format of the game if he can work on his fitness.
Arzan Nagwaswalla was consistent for Gujarat in the domestic circuit as he performed exceptionally well for his side in the Ranji trophy. The left-arm fast bowler can bowl around 135kmph and can swing the ball well, which can be vital for India in both home and overseas conditions
With the new WTC Cycle set to being, India would try to develop a new crop of fast bowling units to assist experienced pacers going into the next cycle.